


Kitten

by LiterallyThePresident



Category: Inn Between (Podcast)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Unbelievable amounts of fluff, these two, vex and haunt me, with how cute they are
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:13:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22277662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiterallyThePresident/pseuds/LiterallyThePresident
Summary: Meltyre is too damn adorable
Relationships: Sterling Whitetower/Meltyre (Inn Between)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	Kitten

**Author's Note:**

> Listen... everyone go look up ladywhitetower (https://ladywhitetower.tumblr.com/) on tumblr and check out her Inn Between art, her Sterling is Perfect and her Meltyre is what made me listen to the podcast

Meltyre made a sound like a squeak, his entire face going dark at Fina’s teasing joke. The sight only seemed to make everyone laugh harder, and Meltyre buried his face in his scarf to hide his furious blush.

Sterling watched from a decent distance away, fairly certain that this was what dying felt like. There was no way a creature as lovely and adorable as Meltyre could possibly exist, he had to have some manner of dark secret because otherwise he was just too perfect. From his position on the decently soft couch, he could see every little shift in Meltyre’s body language, every nervous inhale and anxious tap of the fingers. Meltyre was still far too thin, he thought to himself with a frown. Far too thin and far too small, with thin wrists and ribs slightly too prominent for comfort. Sterling remembered how light the wizard had been when Sterling had caught him after the incident with Robin, Meltyre’s unexpected faint sending Sterling’s heart rocketing into his throat with choking fear. He’d seemed so  _tiny_ in Sterling’s arms, with his heart fluttering like a bird’s in his frail chest. He’d seemed so breakable, so defenseless. It had filled Sterling with intense feelings of protectiveness, the desire to bundle Meltyre in blankets and tuck him away somewhere safe and warm.

Lost in his musings, he almost didn’t notice when Meltyre stood with a stammering excuse, flashing the group a quick smile that seemed to light up the entire room before making his way to where Sterling was sitting. Sterling straightened, snapping to attention as Meltyre slid into the seat beside him with a soft look.

“Can I join you?” he asked quietly, “I think I’ve reached my limit for social interaction today.”

“Of course, you never have to ask.” Sterling said, relaxing despite himself, unable to be tense when Meltyre was so close he could feel his warmth. Meltyre smiled gratefully at him, scooting just a little closer on the couch, and by Cuthbert Sterling wished he could preserve that smile and keep it close, save it to warm him when the skies were gray. Meltyre hesitated a moment, seeming to think hard about something, and then he slid still closer, his thigh pressing against Sterling’s in a way that made his breath catch in his throat.

“Tell me if I’m being weird or anything.” Meltyre said anxiously, his lip caught distractingly between his teeth, “It’s just, it’s chilly in here and you’re always so warm and I love and trust you, and I don’t know if you’re okay being c-cuddly in public but I just... am I being weird?”

“Not at all.” wanting nothing more than to reassure him, Sterling dared to slip an arm around his shoulders, tucking him against his side and trying not to let his utter adoration show at the surprised sound Meltyre made. Luckily the wizard seemed to recover quickly, giving Sterling a truly beautiful smile as he nuzzled into his side with a contented sigh, curling into him like a kitten to a fireplace. By the stars, Sterling was so, so in love with this man. It was all he could do not to pull him into his lap and kiss him senseless, regardless of who saw.

It took supreme effort, but he managed to resist the urge. He settled for taking Meltyre’s hand in his free one, squeezing lightly. Meltyre squeezed back with a happy hum, nuzzling his head against Sterling’s chin in a wordless demand for affection that Sterling honestly wasn’t sure he was aware of. Sterling happily tugged him closer, pressing a kiss to his soft hair with a fond chuckle.

“Kitten.” he murmured, and he could  _feel_ Meltyre’s face heat up. Meltyre made a noise of complaint and buried his burning face against Sterling’s throat, and Sterling was so charmed he couldn’t even make fun of him.

“I am not a kitten.” Meltyre protested weakly, as he often did when receiving praise, and Sterling couldn’t have stopped himself from hugging him if he tried.

“Soft, warm, adorable, tiny, cuddly.” he hummed with a cheeky grin, “Am I describing a kitten, or you? Trick question, the answer is both.”

“You’re a menace.” Meltyre tried to burrow deeper into his embrace, and Sterling brushed his lips against the curly hair.

“Not at all, you’re simply unused to receiving the praise you deserve.” he said, “Not to worry, I’ve stated my intent to change that many times now.” Meltyre made a token noise of complaint, but his grasp on Sterling’s shoulders was firm. He was practically in Sterling’s lap at this point, despite his best efforts, but he couldn’t find it in him to be even remotely displeased. He kissed Meltyre’s forehead, then his hair, then his nose, then his eyebrow. Meltyre wrinkled his nose and turned his head with a little laugh, but that only gave Sterling better access to his face. Following his whim, he started peppering Meltyre with kisses, holding him tight as he squirmed in a futile, halfhearted attempt to escape.

“Sterling!” he laughed, and Sterling grinned widely.

“Yes?” he asked innocently as Meltyre’s head tilting back with a happy laugh, giving Sterling the perfect opportunity to trail kisses up his jaw and across his face.

“You’re such a sap!” Meltyre wiggled in his arms, but Sterling was stronger and they both knew it. Meltyre didn’t mind at all, having confessed to him in the past that Sterling’s strength was a trait he adored, a confession that had earned him a trail of fervent kisses up his arm that had Fina calling him ‘Gomez Addams’, as though that meant anything. Sterling loved that his strength made Meltyre feel safe, protected, and he would do anything to preserve that feeling. 

“Only for you, my beloved.” he crooned, and Meltyre giggled helplessly, all traces of anxiety and fear completely gone in Sterling’s presence. It was a wonderful sensation, to know he made Meltyre feel safe, to know Meltyre felt secure with him, secure enough to act so playful and happy. He wished he could see him like this more often, “Oh Meltyre?”

“Yes?” Meltyre asked, hair ruffled and cheeks bright with laughter, emphasizing his freckles in a way that made Sterling want to kiss him all day every day forever.

“I love you.” he settled for saying instead, soft and sincere, and Meltyre’s smile softened in response. 

“I love you too.” he murmured. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to Sterling’s in a chaste kiss, soft and sweet, and Sterling’s eyes slid closed with utter contentment. Kissing Meltyre was like floating on a cloud, like diving into a pool on a hot day, and he would have happily stayed there all night if a loud snort hadn’t startled them both.

“You two are disgusting to watch.” Fina rolled her eyes from her table, but her twitching lips gave away her amusement, “Go be sickening somewhere else.”

“You know, that’s a wonderful idea.” Sterling recovered with an easy smirk, scooping Meltyre up and standing with practiced ease. Meltyre gasped and grabbed at his shoulders, still somehow taken by surprise every time Sterling picked him up. It was so damned cute he could kill something. 

“Meltyre, shall we away to my room?” he asked gallantly, pressing a kiss to Meltyre’s temple, “I would very much like to spend more time with you, away from prying eyes and noisy inns. Perhaps we can finish up that book?”

“That sounds nice.” Meltyre smiled up at him, his expression open and amused, “I-I’d like to be able to hold you with no one watching.” Sterling flushed at that, still unused to such bold declarations from his shy wizard, but he recovered in record time. He winked cheekily at Fina before turning on his heel and marching towards their rooms, Meltyre secure and warm in his arms. 


End file.
